Abbott & Costello Who's On First - YouTube Abbott & Costello Who's On First Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. The interactive transcript could not be loaded. Loading... Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Published on Aug 15, 2012 Probably the most famous comedy bit of all time. Credit to Koch Entertainment Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. Category Who's on First? by Abbott and Costello Support Who's on First? by Abbott and Costello One of the most famous baseball comedy acts to ever take place was the following humorous exchange between Bud Abbott and Lou Costello. The words alone cannot do it justice, but it is still quite funny to read.

The skit was originally done on the radio live (each & every time) until the legendary duo later included it on The Naughty Nineties compilation. The general premise behind the exchange has Costello, a peanut vendor named Sebastion Dinwiddle, talking to Abbott who is Dexter Broadhurt, the manager of the mythical St. Louis Wolves. However, before Costello can get behind the plate, Abbott wants to make sure he knows everyone's name on the team... Note: We mentioned above that words alone cannot do it justice. To that end we have included a complete audio sample in the Fast Facts of the original "Who's on First?" for you to listen to! "Costello: Look, you gotta pitcher on this team? Abbott: Now wouldn't this be a fine team without a pitcher. Costello: The pitcher's name. Abbott: Tomorrow. Costello: You don't wanna tell me today?" - Who's on First? by Abbott & Costello "JUGS Sports is the leading producer of baseball pitching machines and batting cages trusted by professional and amateur athletes as well as coaches worldwide." Who's On First?

by Abbott and Costello A Word-for-Word Transcript Abbott: Well Costello, I'm going to New York with you. You know Bucky Harris , the Yankee's manager, gave me a job as coach for as long as you're on the team. Costello: Look Abbott, if you're the coach, you must know all the players. Abbott: I certainly do. Costello: Well you know I've never met the guys. So you'll have to tell me their names, and then I'll know who's playing on the team. Abbott: Oh, I'll tell you their names, but you know it seems to me they give these ball players now-a-days very peculiar names. Costello: You mean funny names? Abbott: Strange names, pet names...like Dizzy Dean ... Costello: His brother Daffy. Costello: And their French cousin. Abbott: French? Costello: Goofï¿½. Abbott: Goofï¿½ Dean. Well, let's see, we have on the bags, Who's on first, What's on second, I Don't Know is on third... Costello: That's what I want to find out.

Abbott: I say Who's on first, What's on second, I Don't Know's on third. Costello: Are you the manager? Abbott: Yes. Costello: You gonna be the coach too? Abbott: Yes. Costello: And you don't know the fellows' names? Abbott: Well I should. Costello: Well then who's on first? Abbott: Yes. Costello: I mean the fellow's name. Abbott: Who. Costello: The guy on first. Abbott: Who. Costello: Today, and tomorrow's pitching. Abbott: Now you've got it. Costello: All we got is a couple of days on the team. PAUSE Costello: You know I'm a catcher too. Abbott: So they tell me. Costello: I get behind the plate to do some fancy catching, Tomorrow's pitching on my team and a heavy hitter gets up. Now the heavy hitter bunts the ball. When he bunts the ball, me, being a good catcher, I'm gonna throw the guy out at first base. So I pick up the ball and throw it to who? Abbott: Now that's the first thing you've said right.

Costello: I don't even know what I'm talking about! PAUSE Abbott: That's all you have to do. Costello: Is to throw the ball to first base. Abbott: Yes! Costello: Now who's got it? Abbott: Naturally. PAUSE Costello: Look, if I throw the ball to first base, somebody's gotta get it. Now who has it? Abbott: Naturally. Costello: So I pick up the ball and I throw it to Naturally. Abbott: No you don't, you throw the ball to Who. Costello: Naturally. Costello: That's what I said. Abbott: You're not saying it... Costello: I throw the ball to Naturally. Abbott: You throw it to Who. Costello: Naturally. Costello: That's what I said! Abbott: You ask me. Costello: I throw the ball to who? Abbott: Naturally. Costello: Now you ask me. Abbott: You throw the ball to Who? Costello: Naturally. Abbott: That's it. Costello: Same as you! Same as YOU! I throw the ball to who.

Whoever it is drops the ball and the guy runs to second. Who picks up the ball and throws it to What. What throws it to I Don't Know. I Don't Know throws it back to Tomorrow, Triple play. Another guy gets up and hits a long fly ball to Because. Why? I don't know! He's on third and I don't give a darn! Abbott: What? Costello: I said I don't give a darn! Abbott: Oh, that's our shortstop. Who's on First by Abbott and Costello Did you know that this exchange has been translated into nearly thirty languages and some of them were even done by Abbott & Costello? Click the Radio to Play/Pause Who's On First? Abbott & Costello performed this entire exchange live on the radio exactly as it appears several thousands times and Baseball Almanac has put our own recording directly above this Fast Fact for you to enjoy. Movie fans worldwide attended the premier of "The Naughty Nineties" just to physically "see" this exchange on the big screen versus hearing it on the radio.

Jerry Seinfeld on ‘Who’s on First?’ - The New York Times The New York Times Baseball |Seinfeld on Why ‘Who’s on First?’ Worked Search Continue reading the main story Photo Jerry Seinfeld, a Mets fan, said he started watching Abbott & Costello reruns in the 1960s. They continue to inspire him. Credit Jon Soohoo/WireImage Jerry Seinfeld watches “Who’s on First?” and sees the craft behind Abbott and Costello’s routine: the rhythm he calls “musical math,” the byplay between Bud Abbott’s straight-man calm and Lou Costello’s childlike exasperation, and the repetition that sustains Costello’s confusion about the players’ names. “Any great comedy is how far can you take this silly idea,” Seinfeld says in “Costas & Seinfeld: Who’s on First?” a 30-minute special which has its premiere Thursday at 7 p.m. Eastern on the MLB Network and allows the comedian to deconstruct the comic magic of one of the most famous bits of all time. “I mean the initial idea is just a first baseman named Who.

And then you get the What, then the I Don’t Know, and it keeps going.” He adds, “You think it’s out of gas, and it’s not. That’s what makes this great.” “Who’s on First?” plays, of course, on a series of misunderstandings that is carried by rat-a-tat wordplay. Costello cannot grasp why Abbott’s roster includes Who at first base, What at second, I Don’t Know at third, a pitcher named Tomorrow and a catcher named Today. Costello is as addled as Abbott is certain. What makes it funny, Seinfeld says, is that neither man is listening to the other — and that each man is totally convinced of his perspective. Costello: “You know the guys’ names on the baseball team?” Abbott: “Yes.” Costello: “Well, go ahead.

Who’s on first?” Advertisement Costello: “I mean the guy’s name.” Abbott: “Who.” Costello: “The guy playing first base.” Abbott: “Who.” Costello: “The guy on first base.” Abbott: “Who is on first.” They performed the routine hundreds, maybe thousand of times in vaudeville theaters and on the set of the 1945 film “The Naughty Nineties.” Seinfeld said by telephone Monday: “You think about how they worked. They did eight shows a day in vaudeville, five, six days a week.” As a stand-up comic, he said that he could not fathom being part of a two-man team, let alone one that worked together for decades. “I think it’s pretty well acknowledged that it’s way tougher than marriage,” he said. From the 1930s on, they honed “Who’s on First?” so deftly and so often, Seinfeld said, that all the air was sucked out of it, leaving a sketch with near-perfect timing. The less air, the funnier it gets, he said.

“When the laugh happens,” he said, “you want that next line right up against it, and again, right up against it. It creates a compression that makes your mind work faster, which makes you laugh.” Seinfeld’s fascination with Abbott and Costello began in the 1960s when he started to watch reruns of the comedy team’s syndicated TV series. He plucked some of what he admired for his own series: a short routine to open each episode; playing the Abbott-like straight man to the other characters, and emphasizing the physical differences between Kramer’s lean physique and Newman’s porcine one. And George Costanza’s middle name, Louis, paid homage to Costello. Seinfeld said he experienced a “Who’s on First?” moment in an episode, “The Package,” in which Kramer says the Postal Service will take a write-off if Jerry files a fraudulent claim that his stereo was damaged during delivery.

Jerry: “You don’t even know what a write-off is.” Kramer: “Do you?” Jerry: “No, I don’t.” Advertisement Kramer: “But they do, and they are the ones writing it off.” “It was,” Seinfeld said by telephone, “like being in heaven.” The “Who’s on First?” version in Thursday’s program was performed in 1953 by Abbott and Costello for their TV series. When irritated, Costello pounded a bat on the stage. “See how close they are,” Seinfeld tells Costas. “The words are tight. They’re physically tight. Energy is high. It’s banging off each other like pool balls.” Separate them a few inches and the energy dissipates.

Costello: “Look, when you pay off the first baseman every month, you get a receipt from the guy?” Abbott: “Sure.” Costello: “How’s he sign his name?” Abbott: “Who.” Costello: “The guy you gave the money to.” Abbott: “Who.” Costello: “The guy you gave the money to.” Abbott: “Well, that’s how he signs it.” Costello: “That’s how who signs it?” Abbott: “Yes.” A version of this article appears in print on July 10, 2012, on Page B13 of the New York edition with the headline: Seinfeld on the Genius of ‘Who’s on First?’. Order Reprints | Today's Paper | Subscribe Abbot and Costello - Who's on First - YouTube Abbot and Costello - Who's on First Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. The interactive transcript could not be loaded. Loading... Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later.

Published on May 8, 2012 a funny monolog between Abbot And costello abou abbots baseball team. Category Abbott and Costello's Who's on First routine celebrates 75 years of baseball comedy COSTELLO: I mean the fellow's name on first base. ABBOTT:Who. COSTELLO: The fellow's name on first base. ABBOTT:Who. COSTELLO: The guy on first base. ABBOTT: Who is on first base. COSTELLO: What are you asking me for?!? Where did Who and What come from? A 1999 article in the SABR Examiner related the claims of a man named Timmy Watt, who said "Who's on First" was based on the names of actual minor leaguers and cup-of-coffee big leaguers such as Honus J. Hoehe (Who), Allie Watt (What) and Isaiah Donough (I Dunno). "The Late Show with David Letterman" arranged a Japanese translation for Hideki Matsui and Biff Henderson in 2004.

AP Photo/Kathy Willens Watt's claims seem rather fanciful, and the routine is generally credited to Abbott and Costello, who performed "Who's on First" thousands of times (and in front of three U.S. presidents). Costello's daughter, Chris, has insisted that her father wrote it with Abbott and one of their writers, John Grant. The Abbott and Costello impersonation duo of Gil Palmer and Lou Sciara say the exact origin of "Who's on First" is a bit of vaudeville mystery. While its roots likely go back to old vaudeville and burlesque sketches that were based around similar confusion over names such as What and Watt, Palmer says, "I think Abbott and Costello embellished it and brought it to the great level we know it now." Sciara says that the version of "Who's on First'' we all know is pretty much the work of Abbott and Costello, along with John Grant. "They made it their own." Sciara and Palmer have been performing the routine as part of their Abbott and Costello act for more than two decades, including at a Hall of Fame induction ceremonies. They aren't alone.

Fallon recalls performing the routine in college when he was starting out as a standup comic -- "and we got a standing ovation." Fallon, Billy Crystal, Jerry Seinfeld and Steve Higgins performed a great version of it recently on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon." Crystal (as Sammy Davis Jr.), Brother Theodore and Christopher Guest attempted a version for HBO years ago. Thanks to some creative sound and video editing, a rendition was even performed in a galaxy far, far away by Yoda and Jar Jar Binks . How much a part of baseball is it? So much that Abbott and Costello got their own Action Packed trading card. AP Photo/Richard Drew (There also were times during the 1994 baseball strike when it seemed Bud Selig and Donald Fehr were performing their own "Who's on First" routine.) "This is a rite of passage. This is the thing every comedian knows, no matter who you are," Fallon says. "Every comedian goes: 'Oh, "Who's on First." Of course.' You have to know it. You must know it. I'm pretty sure all baseball players must know this sketch. You must know it -- it's part of that world and part of this world.

It's part of baseball and part of comedy." As a former writer on "Cheers," "Frazier" and "M*A*S*H" and a broadcaster for several major league teams, Ken Levine is part of both the comedy and baseball worlds. He says "Who's on First" is an enduring classic for several reasons. "The precision is impeccable. And the performances are amazing, especially Bud Abbott's," Levine says. "Straight men rarely get the recognition they deserve, but he drove that routine. He established the pace, delivered every line perfectly and with just the right tone. By making it seem matter-of-fact, as if everyone knew these ballplayers, it just made Lou Costello's confusion and building frustration that much funnier." The importance of Abbott's delivery is driven home in this great deconstruction of "Who's on First'' by the Kids in the Hall, in which the worst straight man in vaudeville history hilariously ruins the routine. (Fast-forward to the 1:47 mark). So, too, in the Academy Award-winning movie "Rain Man," when Ray (Dustin Hoffman) endlessly repeats the routine with no sense of timing, to the exasperation of his brother (Tom Cruise).

The script for "Rain Man," starring Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise, included the skit. AP Photo "When you do it, you're not funny," Cruise's character complains at one point. "You're the comedy team of Abbott and Abbott." To which Ray responds. "All I'm trying to figure is what's the guy's name on first base." For Pete's sake, Ray. How many times do we have to tell you? What is on second. Who is on first. COSTELLO: What's the guy's name on first base? ABBOTT: What's the guy's name on second base. COSTELLO: I'm not asking you who's on second. ABBOTT: Who's on first. Who's On First?: BaseballChronology BaseballChronology Store Who Am I? I was arrested in a hotel room while having sex with a 15 year old shortly after being traded to the Yankees for Rickey Henderson. Put mouse over "Who Am I" for answer. Who's On First? Who's on First? is a legendary comedy routine made famous by the comedy team of Abbott and Costello, and for which they are arguably now best remembered.

The premise of the routine is that Abbott is identifying the players on a baseball team to Costello, but their nicknames can be interpreted as non-responsive answers to Costello's questions. Bonus: Hear the routine in MP3 format courtesy of VOANews "Who's On First?" is descended from turn-of-the-century burlesque sketches like "The Baker Scene" (the shop is located on Watt Street) and "Who Dyed" (the owner is named Who). By the early 1930s, a "Baseball Routine" had become a standard bit for burlesque comics across the country. Shortly after Abbott and Costello teamed up, they honed the sketch, using the nicknames of then-contemporary baseball players like Dizzy and Daffy Dean (and their alleged French cousin, Goofï¿½) to set up the premise. Later, burlesque producer John Grant, who became the team's head writer, helped them refine it further. By 1944, Abbott and Costello had the routine copyrighted. Still, there have been dubious claims by at least half a dozen others to the authorship (or co-authorship) of the sketch.

It is worth noting that these "collaborators" only began appearing after Bud's death in 1974, when they couldn't be challenged. It was said that Abbott and Costello had performed "Who's On First?" 15,000 times in their careers, and rarely was it performed the same way twice. Once, they did the routine at President Roosevelt's request. It was featured in the team's 1940 film debut, One Night in the Tropics. The duo reprised the bit in their 1945 film The Naughty Nineties, and it is that version which is considered their finest recorded rendition. They also performed the routine numerous times on radio and television (notably in the TV series episode "The Actor's Home"). In 1956 a gold record of "Who's On First?" was placed in the Baseball Hall of Fame museum in Cooperstown, New York. A video (taken from "The Naughty Nineties") now plays continuously on screens at the Hall.

(Abbott and Costello are not, as some urban legends have it, members of the Hall of Fame itself.) In 1999, Time magazine named the routine Best Comedy Sketch of the 20th century. An early radio recording was placed in the Library of Congress' National Recording Archives in 2003. In 2005 the line "Who's On First?" was included on the American Film Institute's list of 100 memorable movie quotes. Canada's first ever all comedy radio channel CFHA located in Saint John NB chose this routine as the first sketch aired on their station. The names given in the routine for the players at each position are: First Base: Who Third Base: I Don't Know Left Field: Why Catcher: Today Shortstop: I Don't Give a Darn The name of the shortstop is not given until the very end of the routine, and the right fielder is never identified, though an interpretation of the transcript could give his name as Naturally. Abbott's explanations leave Costello hopelessly confused and infuriated, until the end of the routine when he finally appears to catch on.

"You got a couple of days on your team?" He never quite figures out that the first baseman's name literally is "Who." But after all this he announces, "I don't give a darn!" ("Oh, that's our shortstop.") That is the most commonly heard ending, which varied depending on the perceived sensibilities of the audience. The even-milder 'I Don't Care' was used in the version seen in the film The Naughty Nineties. A recording of the obvious 'I Don't Give a Damn' has also turned up on occasion. Cultural References The theme has been reprised many times. In particular: Late night television host Johnny Carson gave a memorable rendition showing President Ronald Reagan being briefed by an aide. Puns were made with the names of Chinese leader Hu Yaobang (who?) of Yasser Arafat (yes, sir) and of Interior Secretary James Watt (what?). In 2003, an updated version of the routine circulated on the Internet featuring George W. Bush, replacing Watt with Kofi Annan (coffee?), identifying the aide as Condoleezza Rice (with eggroll?), and replacing Hu Yaobang with Hu Jintao.

The 1960s comedy group The Credibility Gap recorded a variant in which a rock concert promoter (Harry Shearer) attempts to advertise a concert, headlined by The Who, The Guess Who, and Yes in the Los Angeles Times. When the advertising manager David L. Lander asks him why he doesn't simply write the ad copy down, Shearer closes the routine by saying, "If I could write, I wouldn't have had to steal this bit!" In the animated series Animaniacs, a musical variant was performed with Slappy and Skippy Squirrel having a similarly confusing conversation at the Woodstock Festival in 1969 about the rock bands, The Who, The Band, and Yes. The 1988 Oscar-winning movie Rain Man also heavily references the sketch. The movie's main character, Raymond (played by Dustin Hoffman), who is autistic, uses the comedy routine as a defense mechanism when others become upset with him or something doesn't go his way.

On The Simpsons , in the episode "Marge Simpson in: "Screaming Yellow Honkers"", Superintendent Chalmers and Principal Skinner try their hand at being Abbott and Costello, but Skinner botches the routine seconds into the act, putting the act to a quick end. ("Not the pronoun but a player with the unlikely name of Who, is on first.") On another episode of The Simpsons entitled "Insane Clown Poppy", Krusty the Klown provides entertainment for soldiers in the Gulf War (where he himself is a parody of Bob Hope). He indicates Saddam Hussein cannot be assassinated because he is an integral part of Krusty's comedy act. He then begins with a sample: "Hussein's on first, Ayatollah's on second..." A sketch in an episode of the Canadian TV series The Kids in the Hall features an attempt to stage the act, which is foiled by a straight man (Dave Foley) who is at first inattentive, and then outsmarts the joke by explaining, in tedious detail, why the other comedian was confused. ("No no, Watt is on - oh, I see what your problem is!

Look, you're confused by their names, because they all soundlike questions.") In 2000 the new restaurant, "Momo's", across from then Pac Bell Park in San Francisco, featured in several billboard ads the phrase "What's On Second [Street]?" CanWest Global Park, a baseball stadium in Winnipeg, Manitoba, features a Chinese restaurant down the first-base line called "Hu's on First." British comedy double act Vic and Bob have also adapted the concept into their quiz show Shooting Stars which involved variants of the skit, including Mortimer asking the questions, "A dog has puppies, but what was the name of the mother" and "What (i.e. Watt) is the unit of electrical power?" which naturally serves as its own answer. Reeves takes on Costello's role in utterly missing the point of the trick question. On their ESPN Classic series Cheap Seats, Randy and Jason Sklar performed a parody of the routine in response to a clip about the planned community of Rotonda, Florida, in which seven golf courses were in development, to be named after the days of the week.

Confusion ensues, with one brother tricking the other into thinking that he won't be able to find out the names of the courses until the designated day ("What's the name of the second course?" "I'll tell you...Monday."). Fed up, he unleashes a string of bleeped profanities, to which the straight man replies, "Oh, that's the name of our driving range!" The sketch is a popular piece for oral interpretation classes and courses. Garfield and Friends paid tribute to the sketch in a U.S. Acres segment titled "Who Done It", in which Orson hires the services of three canine brothers named Who, What, and Where. The trio's odd names cause much confusion and aggravation when they introduce themselves to Royand Wade, and later Orson's brothers. MAD magazine printed a modernized version of the sketch in which the duo attempt to organize MTV's music video library, which proves to be difficult because Costello takes Abbott's stating the song titles and band names literally.

Comedy duo Slovin & Allen performed a parody of the routine in the late 1990s using real names of New York Yankees players - Tino Martinez, Chuck Knoblauch, and Scott Brosius. The routine was otherwise unchanged. In Living Colour did a parody with this involving Al Sharpton and Louis Farrakhan. In the Invasion of the Neptune Men episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000, similar confusion arose between Mike, and Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot. Mike is trying to explain the concept of Japanese Noh theater, without much success. ("They have lots of theater, including Noh theater!" "So they have lots of theater and they have no theater?" "Exactly!") Share Your Memories! Our sites have always been by you and about you. If you check our TV Forums or our Technology & Science forums , you'll find literally thousands of messages from fans of 1970s TV shows, survivors of hurricanes or aircraft accidents, etc. from all over the world sharing their memories, asking questions, making comments.

Our baseball section is new, but don't let that stop you from sharing your memories of the first game you went to, your favorite player, a now-forgotten stadium, etc. Of course you can also ask questions, post trivia, tell the world what you think of Barry Bonds, or just read what others are saying. --Patrick Mondout Who’s On First Joined the Hall 60 years ago | Baseball Hall of Fame Baseball Hall of Fame Who’s On First Joined the Hall 60 years ago Written by: Bill Francis Related Hall of Famers Related Content It was 60 years ago when a gold record joined the bronze plaques. Bud Abbott and Lou Costello were arguably the most famous comedy team of the 1940s, a duo that found fame in burlesque, vaudeville, radio, movies and television, but are most remembered today for their famous “Who’s on First?” routine.

The baseball-themed skit – in which Abbott, the straight man, portrays a manager and Costello serves as the excitable player – involves a confounding discussion, with rhythmic wordplay and precision timing, on the players’ names on a ballclub, with, among others, “Who” playing first base, “What” at second, and “I Don’t Know” on third. Join Shop Now With Abbott and Costello’s time as an act nearing its end, it was announced by a spokesman for the comedians on May 29, 1956, that a gold recording of the pair’s “Who’s on First?” routine would be placed on permanent display at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. This is many times better than getting an Oscar,” Costello said at the time of the announcement. “You can win an Oscar and a couple of years later it’s, ‘Goodbye Sam.’” Two years after Abbott and Costello teamed up in 1936, they first performed “Who’s on First?” for a nationwide radio audience on the “Kate Smith Hour.” The acclaimed performance almost didn’t happen, though, because the show’s producer, Ted Collins, wasn’t a fan.

“We used the routine for our audition with Ted. He likes us but said, ‘That baseball routine stinks. Never use it on our show,’” Costello said. Fortunately, despite some initial reluctance, they finally managed to get “Who’s on First?” on the air in 1938. Almost two decades later, Abbott and Costello were appearing on a newer medium to make a special presentation. In the midst of the World Series, Abbott and Costello appeared on “The Steve Allen Show” on Oct. 7, 1956. The weekly NBC-TV variety hour aired live on Sunday night at 8 p.m. ET. This particular episode was a “Salute to Baseball” with special guests Mickey Mantle and Claire Ruth, Babe Ruth’s widow, as well as musician Lionel Hampton, singer Peggy King, and puppet act Kukla, Fran and Ollie. After interviews with Mrs.

Ruth, who said she “surely” hopes that Mantle will break the Bambino’s single-season homer record of 60, and Mantle, who that afternoon hit a tremendous sixth-inning home run of Brooklyn’s Ed Roebuck in Game 4 of the Fall Classic to lead New York to a 6-2 win at Yankee Stadium, it was time for Allen to introduce the famed comedy duo to the audience. Abbott and Costello's gold record for "Who's on First?" B-478.56 (Milo Stewart, Jr. / National Baseball Hall of Fame) Share this image: Share on facebook Share on twitter “And there are two men who have made a very unique contribution to the game in a lighter vein. They are Bud Abbott and Lou Costello,” Allen said. “One of the great classics of comedy is a routine that is practically synonymous with their name – it’s called ‘Who’s on First?’” Wearing their appropriate baseball outfits, the 58-year-old Abbott and the 50-year-old Costello bounded on stage. They were soon joined by Hall of Fame Director Sid Keener and Hall of Fame Vice President Paul S. Kerr.

"We just finished a picture about eight weeks ago, ‘Dance with Me, Henry,’ for United Artists,” said Costello, clutching a mounted gold record of “Who’s on First?” “And now we’re here in New York, being with you and all the wonderful people you have here, we have a wonderful plaque that’s going to be presented to the Baseball Hall of Fame." “That’s a solid gold record that actually plays and will go to the Cooperstown Hall of Fame.” Abbott added, “And we’re very, very proud and happy that you’ve accepted this.” Speaking for the Hall of Fame, Kerr said, “Lou and Bud, I’m very happy to accept this on behalf of the millions who have seen and heard this.

And I’m especially glad to have it so that the future generations may enjoy this as much as we have.” After much applause, Allen introduced what some claim to be the final performance by the duo of their comedy classic, “Who’s on First?” Newspaper reports at the time claimed Abbott and Costello were awarded “official membership in the Baseball Hall of Fame” during their appearance on “The Steve Allen Show,” adding that few non-players had been so honored, but the pair had in fact not been elected to the Cooperstown institution. The next day, the Yankees’ Don Larsen tossed the only perfect game in World Series history. The losing pitcher that afternoon, Sal Maglie, had appeared on “The Steve Allen Show” the previous night on a “Man on the Street” segment in which people were asked who will win the World Series. The famous comedy team of Abbott and Costello would break up less than a year later, the official word coming on July 15, 1957. “Dance with Me, Henry,” the last of their 36 films together, would be released in December 1956. “People like to laugh,” Abbott once said.

“We try to take care of this, which seems to be their favorite pastime.” Any great comedy is how far can you take this silly idea. I mean the initial idea is just a first baseman named ‘Who.’ And then you get the ‘What,’ then the ‘I Don’t Know,’ and it keeps going. You think it’s out of gas, and it’s not. That’s what makes this great." Comedian Jerry Seinfeld, during a 2012 MLB Network special on "Who's on First?" “We’re mighty proud of making people laugh,” Costello added. “That’s our main objective. We don’t drag in any lessons in government or something. We approve of all that, of course, but we’re out for entertainment and not instruction.” Today, the mounted gold record of “Who’s on First?” is currently located on the Hall of Fame Library’s second floor. Decades after it debut, “Who’s on First?” is still being discovered by new generations of fans. Though the exact origins of the “Who’s On First?” routine are hard to know for sure, it most likely derived from similar long ago skits on the vaudeville stage.

The Library of Congress, in January 2003, in an effort to preserve American sound recordings, selected 50 recordings to start a national registry. Included with the description of the 1937 Hindenburg crash, Bing Crosby’s 1942 recording of “White Christmas,” and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1963 “I Have a Dream Speech,” was the first radio broadcast version of “Who’s on First,” from a March 1938 “Kate Smith Hour” episode. In 2005, the American Film Institute released its list of 100 greatest movies quotes of all time. “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn” from “Gone with the Wind” topped the list while “Who’s on First?” from “The Naughty Nineties” ranked 91st. “Any great comedy is how far can you take this silly idea,” comedian Jerry Seinfeld said in a 2012 MLB Network special on “Who’s on First?” “I mean the initial idea is just a first baseman named ‘Who.’ And then you get the ‘What,’ then the ‘I Don’t Know,’ and it keeps going.

You think it’s out of gas, and it’s not. That’s what makes this great.” Abbott and Costello performing the routine from the 1945 movie “The Naughty Nineties,” with closed captioning, can be viewed on the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum’s second floor – and remains one of the Museum’s most popular stops for fans. “It’s a way of presenting it to the greatest number of visitors,” said former Hall of Fame Vice President Bill Guilfoile more than 20 years ago. “People laugh just as hard today. The film represents the routine better than anything else we could do in our Museum.” Bill Francis is a Library Associate at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum Related Hall of Famers Who's on First Abbott & Costello - Vintage Radio Shows.com Searching for Who's On First? You've Found It! The Classic Abbott & Costello Baseball Skit! Named in 1999 as Best Comedy Sketch of the 20th century by Time Magazine Who's on First? is a legendary comedy routine made famous by the comedy team of Abbott and Costello, and for which they are arguably now best remembered.

The premise of the routine is that Abbott is identifying the players on a baseball team to Costello, but their nicknames can be interpreted as non-responsive answers to Costello's questions. VintageRadioShows.com is proud to bring you the original, full version of this most beloved of all Abbott & Costello skits! Click to listen: Who's On First? Vintage Radio Shows.com features over 25,000+ of the best old time radio shows from the 30's, 40s & 50s including great comedies like Abbott & Costello. Now featuring Vintage Video as well. Its like two sites in one! Little Rascals, Betty Boop, Full Length Dramas, and Silent Movie Classics, even Newsreels from the old days! We hope you'll join our site and enjoy our wide selection of shows. Just browse our collection and see for yourself. If you need more information - check out our site guide and take a test drive with our free samples. If your looking for the text of the skit - we've transcribed it for you below. You'll get an appreciation of just how skilled Abbott & Costello were if you print it out and go through the routine with a friend!

Lots of laughs! From the 1947 Show ABBOTT: Well Costello, I'm going to New York with you. You know Bookie Harris, the Yankee's manager, gave me a job as coach for as long as you're on the team. COSTELLO: Look Abbott, if you're the coach, you must know all the players. ABBOTT: I certainly do. COSTELLO: Well you know I've never met the guys. So you'll have to tell me their names, and then I'll know who's playing on the team. ABBOTT: Oh, I'll tell you their names, but you know it seems to me they give these ball players now-a-days very peculiar names. COSTELLO: All we got is a couple of days on the team. COSTELLO: You know I'm a catcher too. ABBOTT: So they tell me. COSTELLO: I get behind the plate to do some fancy catching, Tomorrow's pitching on my team and a heavy hitter gets up. Now the heavy hitter bunts the ball. When he bunts the ball, me, being a good catcher, I'm gonna throw the guy out at first base.

So I pick up the ball and throw it to who? ABBOTT: Now that's the first thing you've said right. COSTELLO: I don't even know what I'm talking about! ABBOTT: That's all you have to do. COSTELLO: Is to throw the ball to first base. ABBOTT: I said I don't give a darn! ABBOTT: Oh, that's our shortstop. More Info "Who's On First?" is descended from turn-of-the-century burlesque sketches like "The Baker Scene" (the shop is located on Watt Street) and "Who Dyed" (the owner is named Who). By the early 1930s, a "Baseball Routine" had become a standard bit for burlesque comics across the country. Shortly after Abbott and Costello teamed up, they honed the sketch, using the nicknames of then-contemporary baseball players like Dizzy and Daffy Dean (and their alleged French cousin, Goofï¿½) to set up the premise. Later, burlesque producer John Grant, who became the team's head writer, helped them refine it further.

By 1944, Abbott and Costello had the routine copyrighted. It was said that Abbott and Costello had performed "Who's On First?" 15,000 times in their careers, and rarely was it performed the same way twice. Once, they did the routine at President Roosevelt's request. It was featured in the team's 1940 film debut, One Night in the Tropics. The duo reprised the bit in their 1945 film The Naughty Nineties, and it is that version which is considered their finest recorded rendition. They also performed the routine numerous times on radio and television. In 1956 a gold record of "Who's On First?" was placed in the Baseball Hall of Fame museum in Cooperstown, New York. A video (taken from "The Naughty Nineties") now plays continuously on screens at the Hall. In 2005 the line "Who's On First?" was included on the American Film Institute's list of 100 memorable movie quotes. The names given in the routine for the players at each position are: First Base: Who

Question: Which comedy team was famous for its “Who’s On First?” baseball routine?
Answer: Abbott & Costello